


do you got room for one more troubled soul?

by TheCatDemonofInk



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Expected Major Character Death, Gen, Hurt not very Comfort, soft bois
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-23 04:04:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20002042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCatDemonofInk/pseuds/TheCatDemonofInk
Summary: Ben has a choice to make.





	do you got room for one more troubled soul?

You would assume that after having died once, Ben would be used to the sensation of dying.

But sue him, he had been alive for the last couple of years and he had gotten used to being alive. He had gotten used to feeling the breeze and the cold sunlight on his skin, the feeling of a hug from his family members, and the warmth of having his own body heat under the blankets at night. 

Death tore him apart, quite literally. There was a lot of blood and pain, quite similar to the first time he died. The monsters tore out of him, ripping him apart from the inside out and Ben used his dying breath to throw his body over Klaus. 

It was worth it if it was for Klaus. 

Klaus was passed out on the floor, and all Ben could see was the moment in the last timeline when he had heard the sickening crack of Klaus’ skull and felt himself shaken out of his bones. Ben and the monsters had been in accord at that moment, united and both ready to tear the world apart if only it would get Klaus back again.

Ben remembers that kind of fury from the last timeline, the kind of opening up where both he and the monsters were so determined to protect his family. In the Icarus theatre, when the gunmen had been shooting.

Ben tore himself open, even if he didn’t have the control that came with having Klaus’ powers as a buffer. Ben wasn’t dead this time but he would willingly give his life, this time, if it meant Klaus would live. 

There was a blindingly bright light and pain blasting through his body as he stood in front of Klaus and unleashed the monsters on the criminals. No holding back. No restrictions.

And then, nothing.

Ben woke up in a greyscale world, in the middle of a forest. There isn’t any more pain anywhere in his body and for the first time in (both) lives, all is at peace. Ben gets up, slowly, and walks down the winding path, until he exits onto a cornfield. 

“You’re just as annoying as your brother, Ben Hargreeeves.”

Ben turns, only to see an unimpressed little girl next a bike with sunflower patterns. His first instinct is to ask her if she should be wearing a helmet. The road ahead looks slightly rocky after all, and he wouldn’t want her to get hurt.

Then, he connects the little girl with the Little Girl God Klaus had ranted about late at night to him.

“You’re God?”

“Unfortunately. For both of us. You weren’t supposed to die, Ben Hargreeves. It is not your time yet.”

“... Oops.”

The little girl glares at him and pinches her nose. 

“Now what?”

“What do you want to do?”

Ben tugs at his earlobe, shrugging. “Well, I’m dead anyway right? So what can I do?”

The little girl gestures behind him and Ben turns to see two diverging roads that he was pretty sure weren’t there a few minutes ago. 

“It wasn’t your time to die in this timeline. Klaus was supposed to die at this moment but a death has already occurred, and you’ve messed up this timeline. Again.”

The girl looks him in the eye sternly. “You have two possible paths. You could either choose to go on to the afterlife, or you could choose to claim unfinished business and go back to Earth as a ghost. But be aware, that because of your ah, unique circumstances, there are limits.”

“If you choose to go on to the afterlife, you will never be able to come back again. There will no longer be a timeline, in any timeline where you live as a ghost past the moment of your death. But if you choose to go back to earth, the afterlife will be barred to you forever. You will also be tethered to Klaus when you go back.”

The girl nods at him, her floppy sun hat bouncing ominously. “Choose wisely, Ben.”

Ben watches, silently, as she gets on her bike, and rides off, disappearing over the horizon that appears about 3 metres away from where he could have sworn she was. 

He turns back to the two innocuous looking dirt roads. 

Leaving sounds tempting. The idea of going on to an afterlife and never having to deal with the apocalypse or Sir Reginald in any timeline ever again has its appeal. The idea of moving on, permanently, to whatever came after death, did sound good.

On the other hand, Klaus. 

Ben chooses a path, and walks down, watching as the forest behind him and the whole environment around him seems to face away.

Ben opens his eyes.

“No, no. Nononono. No! Ben, come back!” Klaus is leaning over his body, sobbing his eyes out. Ben’s own body, his corpse, is covered in blood and torn apart in a terrible fashion. Ben feels bad that Klaus is subjected to this.

“Hey.”

Klaus spins around, sees him, and bursts into a fresh wave of tears. “You’re not supposed to be dead! You weren’t… you…”

“Hey, hey, I’m fine. I’m back, Klaus. I’ll be with you.”

Ben pats his brother on the shoulder, suddenly feeling slightly guilty when his hand goes through Klaus’ shoulder and Klaus starts to sob again. Ben waits it out, slowly encouraging Klaus to get up and go back to the house, as Diego approaches them to ask Klaus what he was waiting for. Diego stops dead, and Ben sees him gently cradle Ben’s broken body and pull Klaus to his feet.

He would never leave Klaus behind. Not in this lifetime. Not in any timeline. 

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Alone Together by Fall Out Boy


End file.
